HR must understand the business, says BBC group HRD

Valerie Hughes-D'Aeth, group HR director​ at the BBC, explains HR's critical role in an organisation

HR professionals must understand the business they work for to be able to successfully add value, according to Valerie Hughes-D'Aeth, group HR director of the BBC.

Speaking at the HR Most Influential 2017 event, Hughes-D'Aeth said that HR has a big opportunity to make a difference. "Any HR director needs to fully understand the organisation they are working for," she said. "Anything from public service to a commercial organisation, you need to understand what your business is up against and what the direction of the organisation is."

Watch the full video interview here:

Speaking at the same event Peter Bloom, senior lecturer and head of the department of people and organisations at the Open University, and co-founder of the research group REEF (Research into Employment, Empowerment, and Futures), said that an upcoming challenge for HR is being able to show the link between social performance and business performance.